Page 26 of Mine to Hold
And when to bend them.
As a mother, she’d been strict and tough. She demanded her boys stay out of trouble, which had proved impossible for all of them. As the chief of police, she had a reputation to uphold, andbeing seen as weak or soft wouldn’t help her lead her deputies or keep the community safe.
“Other than her being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I don’t understand why.” But truth be told, he knew the why. Any good cop would. However, he did want to hear his mom’s perspective and the only way to get the honest answer he desired was to push the right button.
“The timeline,” his mother said. “I can’t believe you haven’t connected those dots.”
He ran a hand over his unshaven face. God, he hated that and if he didn’t shave soon, he’d look like a buffoon. “If you’re talking about the chatter of a new drug dealer making waves in Miami last month and us finding some of that cocaine in our town about the same time Rumor rolled in and how she stayed in that very hotel, that fact hasn’t gone over my head.”
“You know how I feel about coincidences.”
“I don’t believe in them either.” He raised his hand. “But there are a dozen people who stayed there and two of them besides Rumor have spent time in Cali. I also have her employment record along with every known address she had in the last five years. She’s never been anywhere near Tom Hemming and her record is clean. The only thing she’s guilty of is bad timing and a shitty childhood.”
“Tom’s originally from California. Same as Rumor. That gives me enough reason to be concerned. And you should be too.”
“There’s more than one person from that state living here and don’t start in on the timing again. I hear you. I understand your hackles are up. Mine are too. I’ve read the intel on Tom and it’s not good. But two days ago, you trusted Rumor enough to bring her into your home and suggest I take her out.”
His mom glanced down the hallway. “I follow my gut and it tells me she’s not a drug dealer or a criminal.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“The thing you don’t want me to keep bringing up.”
He sighed. The one thing his mother had always told him was not to ignore the simplest of details. It was those things that tripped up even the best cop. And she had a point. The day those drugs landed on the streets of Lighthouse Cove had been the day after Rumor had shown up.
“I’m not going to continue to lecture you,” his mom said.
“Good.”
“But I want you to stay observant and whatever you do, keep your dick in your pants until this thing is over. After that, you can take her to bed.”
He smacked his forehead. “Ma, really? Besides me being a grown-ass man, do you really need to put it that way?”
“Sometimes I think it’s the only thing you boys understand.” She reached out and squeezed his biceps. “If she hadn’t been from Cali, hadn’t rolled into town when those drugs showed up, or hadn’t been staying across the street when the murder occurred, I’d still be trying to fix you up with that girl. But until this case is put to rest, I’m not only asking you as your mother, but telling you as your boss, to keep a safe distance.”
“I’ll keep it professional.” He held his mother’s gaze, praying she didn’t see right through the fact he’d already crossed the line. A single kiss wasn’t a big deal. But now that he’d done it, he wanted more. Rumor was intoxicating. Addictive. And he couldn’t put her out of his mind if he tried.
“Something tells me that’s going to be impossible.” His mother sighed. “Just be careful.” She arched a brow. “Crossing streams makes things complicated.”
Emmerson rubbed the back of his neck. He understood and respected his mother’s concern, although he didn’t view it quite the same way. Maybe he should. Maybe he was letting his emotions cloud his better judgment. It had been a long timesince a woman had turned his head and made him want to do anything other than have a good time.
His cell phone buzzed.
He pulled it out of his back pocket and groaned.
Edwina:I heard about the murder. I know how tough this must be for you right now. I thought I’d stop by later with a nice home-cooked meal. You never take care of yourself when you’re on a big case.
He rolled his eyes like a toddler. That woman sure knew how to get under his skin without even trying. In the few years he’d been with Edwina, the onlybig casehe’d ever worked had been the one that ended their relationship. No fucking way would he respond. He’d already told Edwina he wished her well, but they had nothing left to discuss.
Ever.
But that hadn’t stopped her from trying.
He told himself that if he ignored her, she’d give up.
“What’s going on?” his mother asked. “You look like you swallowed a lemon and it made you constipated.”
He might as well fill his mom in on what was happening because he wasn’t sure it was going away. He lifted his cell and handed it to his mother. “If you want to be disgusted, you can read the text chain. You’ll notice I’ve only responded once to tell her to stop.”
